As Barbra Streisand sang “Somewhere (There’s a Place for Us)” at the beginning of Anne Barge’s show, it occurred to me that the bridal market is indeed a place apart, one that operates on a parallel plane to the prêt-à-porter. Wedding dresses don’t have to adapt to a lifestyle or a wardrobe, but to a single occasion, which might explain why they so often seem to cater to stereotypical storybook ideals. Fantasy reigns in this world of sugar and spice and everything nice, and why shouldn’t a woman dream of wearing a princess, mermaid, or goddess gown—all of which Barge showed in this collection—on her special day?
The seductive see-through look that has been trending in bridal is nowhere to be found at Barge, who caters to the classic bride who pins pictures of Grace Kelly to her mood board. This was an especially pretty collection; it felt lighter in mood than some previous efforts, and not only because the team used ethereal materials like embroidered lace and glitter tulle (sure to appeal to fans of Frozen).
“We were crushing on off-the-shoulder necklines and bows this season,” president Shawne Jacobs explained post-show. One of the standout looks, named Celine, had a bow in the back that extended into a train, a modern take on the kind of extravagant fripperies found in paintings by James Jacques Joseph Tissot. Certainly it would be lovely to look at during the vows. Expanding on the bow concept and the idea of ease was the models’ hair, which consisted of a simple braid tied with an unpressed ribbon. Largely missing from the casting, however, was a sense of diversity, which was especially obvious after the recent round of ready-to-wear shows, where the importance of that message seemed to be finally getting through. Only cake-topper brides are of the cookie-cutter variety, after all.
The finale dress, dubbed Opal, was worth the wait. (Just desserts, if you will.) It was an extravagance of tulle and organza topped by a form-fitting bodice from which meringued a two-tiered ball skirt covered in hundreds of delicate petals that quivered—much like a bride’s full heart—as the model walked.
